Third Sunday in Lent February 28, 2016
Third Sunday in Lent (Oculi)
Luke 11:14-28
February 28, 2016
“Battle for Your House”
Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
How do you guard your soul in this crazy world? How can you keep your heart clear of all the evil that’s out there? How will you ever protect your kids or grandkids from having their hearts and souls corrupted? The internet is great. We love it. But it’s also an open door into your heart and soul for all kinds of evil stuff. Bad language, negativity, pornography, violence, crude humor, gossip. TV is great. But that tube is also an open portal into your home for all kinds of evil. Movies full of sex and violence. Shows full of bad language and people who mistreat each other. Shows full of disrespect for people. Music is great. Pandora is great. Spotify. Ipods. Radio. However you get your music these days. But look at some of the song lyrics out there today. You can hardly find a song on many radio stations that isn’t about drinking or partying or sex or drugs. How will you ever keep your soul safe?
There is a way. There is a way that you can enjoy all those things like internet, TV, music and all the rest the world has to offer and still keep your heart and soul guarded. And it’s really not that complicated. If your house is full—if your heart and soul are full—then that evil stuff can’t get in. There’s no room. If your soul is full of the Word of God—full of the Holy Spirit and Jesus—then your soul is safe. Then your house is guarded by the strongest Man, Jesus Christ.
Our Gospel reading today is about a battle for your house—your soul. And winning that battle is as simple as believing in the strong man Jesus Christ and keeping and guarding His Word. That’s how you will guard your soul and the hearts of those you love.
What happens is that Jesus helps someone and people get all bent out of shape about it. He casts out a demon from a man who was mute, who couldn’t speak. And all of a sudden the guy could talk again. Now this prompts a number of people in the crowd to say that Jesus must be in league with Satan. Jesus must be casting out demons by the power of the devil.
Now let’s explain this one with a reference to a recent movie called Minions. Many of you have seen it, many of you haven’t. But it’s simple. In the movie, minions are small, yellow odd-looking creatures that only exist to serve an evil master. So they’re kinda like henchmen. Evil villains use their minions to do their evil dirty work.
So in our Gospel reading, Jesus is accused of being one of Satan’s minions. He is accused of doing the devil’s bidding. Casting out other minions by being a minion Himself. Now you can see that this makes no sense. If one minion is casting out another minion, then Satan’s evil regime is divided and he’s in trouble. That’s exactly Jesus’ point, then. He says, “A kingdom divided against itself is laid waste.” Abraham Lincoln took Jesus’ words and said the same thing about the United States during the civil war. It’s just common sense. You can’t have minions fighting amongst themselves. That kingdom will fall. So Jesus is most certainly—not a minion. They can call him Beelzebul, but it just doesn’t make sense. Jesus isn’t in league with Satan.
In fact, what He does is now take this opportunity to turn it around on all of us and say—“What are you?” You know that whole thing about when you point your finger at someone, then three fingers are pointing back at you? Well, that’s what happens here. They point the finger at Jesus and say He’s a minion of Satan—but Jesus says, “Hey, three fingers are pointing back at you.” He says that we’d all better check our own hearts and souls because if we’re not with Jesus, then we’re with Satan. Then we’re the minions.
Jesus came to defeat Satan, not join up with him. In fact, Jesus is the only one who can defeat Satan for you. He’s the only one who is stronger. And where that battle happens is your house. By house we mean your soul. Your heart. But also your house as well, meaning your home and family. That’s the picture Jesus gives us here. You and your house are the battleground. Satan wants to be in your heart. He wants to win your soul. And take charge in your house. But Jesus has other ideas.
That’s the parable Jesus tells of the strong man who is guarding his house. Satan is a strong man. He stands at the door of your heart and says, “Aha! I’ve got you. You’re trapped. I’ve got all those sins you’ve committed. All those ugly, horrible thoughts you’ve had. I’ve got all the goods on you. You’re one of my minions, you sinner.” And he holds death over us like the grim reaper and says we’ll never get out of his clutches. He makes us suffer and gives us diseases and heartaches and tragedies.”
Jesus says, “When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own palace, his goods are safe; but when one stronger than he attacks him and overcomes him, he takes away his armor in which he trusted and divides his spoil.” Jesus is the Stronger Man. He is the one who comes to the door of your heart and attacks Satan will all His might and obliterates him. Jesus is the one who takes away the devil’s armor—our sin and our death. Jesus has taken it away. He nailed your sins to the cross and He put your death to death by rising again to give you eternal life. So Satan and his minions have nothing on you anymore.
The battleground is your house. Your soul. So that’s where Jesus goes. He takes His Word into your heart and soul to clear the devil out and make His home with you. He starts with Holy Baptism. In Holy Baptism, you might remember that this question comes up, “Do you renounce the devil?” Baptism is Jesus coming into your house and chasing out the devil. Driving him away. Baptism is Jesus filling your heart instead with His Holy Spirit and His Word. And then every time you say God’s Word, “In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit”—you drive the devil away again and guard and keep your heart.
And Jesus gives us Absolution. Forgiveness. We confess our sins, open our house and our heart to Him, and He cleans us once again and drives away all evil. And He gives us the Lord’s Supper, where He attacks Satan and says, “This is My home.” He fills our heart and soul with His very body and blood so that there’s no room for the devil and his minions.
You see how this works, right? If your heart and home are full of Jesus and His Word—then there’s no room for the devil. Jesus is much stronger than the devil and Jesus has taken His power away by dying on the cross and rising again. So you are safe with Jesus.
That’s why Jesus tells you to guard and keep His Word in your house. Just fill up your heart with it. If you’re trying to stay away from junk food and sweets and desserts, what do you have to do? Fill up your belly with good stuff so you won’t be so tempted. Well, here you go. Fill up your belly and your house and your heart with God’s Word. Jesus says, “Blessed are those who hear the Word of God and keep it.” And guard it. And protect it.
So guard your heart with the Word of God. Do devotions every day. Fill up your home with Bibles, with devotion books, with prayer books. That’s where the daily battle begins against the devil. With God’s Word and prayer. If you’re filling up your heart right away every morning with God’s Word and prayer—then the devil won’t know what to do. He’ll just have to limp off defeated. But if your heart is empty—if you’re not reading God’s Word, not going to Church, not praying—then the devil will come rushing into your home and wreak havoc.
Let’s take a few examples. All of us have specific weaknesses the devil targets. Let’s say you have a weakness with bad language. You use bad words, say bad things, tell bad jokes. Well, what happens when you fill up your heart with God’s Word and prayer? Well, now you have better things to talk about and think about. There’s not as much room for all that bad, devil talk. You find that your language improves.
Or let’s say you have an anger problem. You get angry and negative very quickly. The devil loves that. Well, what happens when you fill up your heart with God’s Word? That anger in you doesn’t have as much room to work then. Instead of you swelling up with rage, that Word of God in there is going to calm you and comfort you and teach you self-control. That Word of God is going to have you full of love and forgiveness and that anger just won’t be able to get as much of a foothold.
Or let’s say you have a problem loving certain people. Maybe your spouse. Maybe someone in your family. Or someone at work. The devil loves that also. The Word of God, however, works in our hearts to make us grateful. Even grateful for people we weren’t grateful for before. The Word of God working in our hearts shows us that none of us are all that loveable. We’re all equally sinful. And when the devil tries to break into your heart so you’ll think bad thoughts about that certain someone—instead, God’s Word will already be there filling you with love and kindness.
It’s not rocket science. It’s God’s science. You will be blessed when you hear the Word of God and keep it. Your house will be guarded.
Finally, then, keep your house clean. Jesus has cleaned out your heart and soul in Holy Baptism. He gives you His Word to read and study and pray. He gives you His body and blood in the Lord’s Supper. He has chased the devil away from you and filled your heart and soul with good things.
Now then, keep that house clean. Paul mentions things specifically today in the second reading that should not be in our homes. Sexual immorality, impurity, coveting, filthiness, foolish talk, crude joking. Keep that dirty stuff out of your house. How many of you would be fine letting a snake come in and sleep in your bed? Or letting a skunk come in and inhabit your living room? Keep that filth out. Instead, he says, let there be thanksgiving. Instead of always wanting things you don’t have, be thankful for what you do have. Instead of using dirty and crude language, talk about how thankful you are. And really watch what you are letting into your homes and into your hearts. Be on guard.
Blessed are those who hear the Word of God and keep it. That’s how your heart and soul are kept safe. God’s Word is so powerful that it drives away all enemies. The devil can’t stand a second in the presence of God’s Word. Guard and keep that Word, your Savior Jesus Christ and He will guard and keep your heart and your home. He will deliver you from evil. In Jesus’ name. Amen.